Roman Villa Contrada Saraceno in Favara
The Archaeological Area of the Roman Villa of Contrada Saraceno is located just outside the town of Favara . In this place, which dominated the valley, the via Agrigentum-Catina developed in ancient times, connecting the Saracen settlement to the Agrigento coast and to the grain loaders. The same street, in the internal areas of the island served the Philosophiana mass, where the villa del Casale in Piazza Armerina is located.
From the excavations carried out, different historical phases of life of the Roman villa emerge, up to its transformation into an Arab farmhouse.
The structure was born in Roman times, between the second and the beginning of the fourth century. d. C., as a residential villa with a peristyle pattern, with a spa complex with black and white mosaics , with a garden area with pools, perhaps for fish, and an adjoining agricultural complex. In the late-Constantinian period the villa was rebuilt, but subsequently destroyed, probably due to the earthquakes between 365 and 371 AD. C.
In the Byzantine era the remains of the villa are superimposed by agricultural systems, among which a small chapel with apses stands out.
